DUI offender who killed motorcyclist sentenced

MURRIETA – A convicted drunken driver who killed a motorcyclist in an alcohol-fueled head-on crash near Anza was sentenced today to 15 years to life in state prison.
Kenneth Alan Hoddick, 70, of Aguanga pleaded guilty on March 28 to second-degree murder under an agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
Superior Court Judge John Davis certified the terms of the plea deal during a hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, imposing the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense. Davis credited Hoddick with 2.5 years in county jail and ordered him to pay victim restitution in an amount to be determined by the Department of Probation.
Richard Michael Ray, 61, of Anza was killed in the collision on Dec. 6, 2014.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Hoddick was driving a 1996 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck southbound on state Route 371, about 15 miles east of Temecula, when he encountered Ray coming from the opposite direction on his motorcycle.
Witnesses alleged that Hoddick was weaving on the road and braking frequently moments before the crash..
The truck and motorcycle were each traveling about 50 mph when Hoddick veered directly into Ray’s path, hitting him head-on, according to CHP Officer Mike Lassig.
Ray was ejected from the motorcycle, suffering major injuries, and was pronounced dead at the scene minutes later by paramedics.
Hoddick tried to flee on foot, but was chased down and stopped by witnesses, Lassig said.
The drunken defendant was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment of minor chest injuries and was booked into jail the following day.
According to court records, Hoddick had two prior misdemeanor DUI convictions from 2006.
Under state law, when a person has been convicted of impaired driving and has received warnings of the consequences of driving while intoxicated, he or she can be charged with murder for killing someone in a DUI crash.